Wild West Show
by MamaBear2Two
Summary: Danny convinces JD to go to a Wild West Show with him, it's a fun filled trip with lots of things neither boy has ever seen before...the only problem is, they didn't actually have permission to go...can the secret be kept?
1. Chapter 1

A/N~ Hey Folks! Here's the first chapter of my new story. It is set in I'maMePanda's M7 YP AU, like Trouble Canyon. Here, it's a few months later and the story is mostly focused on my OC Danny, and JD. My OC Jess is also here. We begin to get more details and info on my Danny, and how the relationship with he and Jess is going.

While there is no actual CP in this story, it is discussed/mentioned and the boys do get into a bit of hot water.

Stealing a phrase from I'maMePanda, "I write stories that may contain CP, not 'CP' stories." :)

As always, gargantuan sized thanks to I'maMePanda for her assistance, her graceful handling of my barrages of emails, and for letting me play in her YP sandbox. So blessed by her friendship! Do check out her awesome stories if you haven't already!

"Well?" Danny asked JD as he came running up behind the livery. JD shook his head.

"Buck says I can't go unless Jess goes." JD couldn't have pouted any harder, Danny was sure.

"But Jess can't go...he's working the range the next couple days." Danny's disappointed statement got a nod from JD.

"I know. Buck says he can't go cuz Chris is out of town transporting that prisoner and he needs to stay in town." Danny leaned his arms on the fence rail and watched the horses milling around. JD climbed the rails and straddled the top.

"Would've been awful fun..." he muttered, dropping inside and heading for Danger. Moments trickled by and Danny followed his friend inside the corral, headed towards Chaucer. The unfriendly equine seemed to like JD and Danny just fine, for whatever reason.

"JD...what if...what if we went anyway?"

JD looked up, startled that Danny had suggested such a thing.

"Buck would kill me...Jess would kill you!" Danny shook his head, rubbing Chaucer's nose.

"Not if...what if.." Danny trailed off for a moment, and then continued on, sounding angry, "We aren't babies, JD. I was taking care of myself for a long time before Jess..." JD shrugged and tipped his head, "I dunno, Danny...I wanna go, but I don't wanna get in trouble."

Danny frowned, moving to Chaucer's side and keeping his cheek against the horse's shoulder. "What if you tell Buck that Jess is going...and I tell Jess that Buck is going?"

JD had just used the fence rail to climb on Danger bareback, and he started at Danny's suggestion, grabbing Danger's mane in a quick motion so he didn't slide back off. Danger side stepped, tossing his head in a bit of a miffed manner. JD held on during the equine's tantrum, patting the side of his neck with a quiet apology as he calmed, and exclaiming, "Danny!" once he righted himself.

Danny turned to JD, a somewhat wicked gleam in his eyes, that also quirked up one side of his mouth, and JD was sure he'd never before seen that look on his friend.

"What? It's nothing bad JD, it's just a trick show. I've never been to one...and I'm _18_ , not 5." Danny ran a hand down Chaucer's neck and headed for the fence.

"I'm going. You coming?" Danny climbed up and over the fence and looked back at JD.

"Danny...I don't..." JD honestly didn't know what to do with Danny like this. Danny was calm. Level headed. He didn't get all wild and excited. He certainly never suggested doing something so blatantly... _wrong_. But it was clear from the look on Danny's face, he was doing it, with or without JD. JD sighed. If they got caught, they were going to be dead. Buried in the cemetery, _DEAD._

"When you want to leave?" he asked, leaning forward and hugging Danger's neck. Danny's eyes lit up.

"Tomorrow."

"Mr. Wilmington said he could go, Jess." Danny shifted on his bunk, but got the words out without faltering, though he'd surprised himself. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was a bad idea. But it frustrated him that he had to ask for permission to go in the first place.

"Alright Danny, you leaving tomorrow morning?" Jess's easy way of agreeing caused a quick tightening of Danny's heart. Danny, (not counting the firecrackers incident) hadn't ever lied to Jess before or since, so there'd be no reason for him to think otherwise.

"Yessir. I think we'll be back the next day." Jess grinned at Danny from his spot on his bunk.

"Have fun, Kid." Danny smiled, fairly certain it didn't look forced. Exactly what was wrong with him?! Why was lying to a man he hadn't even _known_ 6 months ago so difficult?

JD hung on the fence railing and watched the horse and rider in awe. He looked at Danny, standing next to him and whispered, "Did you see that?"

Danny grinned. He was standing right next to him. "I did, JD. It was amazing."

"Danny, that person stood on the horse's back, while they were moving and shot the target out of the sky!" His voice was a whisper, and his eyes were big as silver dollars. Danny couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes JD seemed way more than just a little bit his junior. And it wasn't shot out of the sky, but, close enough he wasn't going to bicker the point.

"I know, I saw it too." He cuffed his friend on the back and said, "Here comes the next act. Think it's some fancy bull riding." He nodded towards the arena, which was just a glorified corral. JD bounced in his excitement and turned back to watch as a bull came charging out of a chute, a man clinging tightly to his back. Danny watched in amazement as the man stayed stuck to the bull like a tick. This was a bit more interesting to him than the horse and rider. Horses you could train, but a bull? That was all the person. And this wasn't regular old bull riding either. He watched as the man got to his feet, the bull still charging everywhere, and his mouth dropped open in shock as the man suddenly did a flip off the bull's back, landing on his feet. He took a quick bow and then raced for the corral fence, vaulting over it like it wasn't near 6 ft tall. He wondered if Vin had ever done something like that. He was going to ask the tracker the first chance he got! JD stayed hanging off the fence, but his eyes were impossibly wide as he looked over his shoulder at Danny. Danny nodded, his own awed look matching JD's. He didn't know how they could possibly be any more awed than they already were with just the two acts they'd seen, but he knew there were more. He stepped forward, grabbed the fence rail and pulled himself up near JD.

"Are ya glad we came?" He whispered. He still felt awfully guilty, but he was sure he wouldn't feel so bad if JD was having fun. JD glanced at him,.

"This is great!" he whispered almost reverently, then riveted his eyes back inside the arena, as five men came in, rifles at their sides, another couple men behind them carrying what appeared to be targets and other equipment. Danny smiled. JD was happy. He had been amazed. That made this time even better. So why did he still feel this annoying niggling of guilt? He shoved the guilt down and watched the men begin to set up the arena, wondering just what these people were going to do.

They had watched another couple acts, trick shooting like Danny had never seen, people shooting at targets in crazy assortments of places, including out of people's hands, off a really tall pole, where you almost couldn't even see the target, and there was a man on horseback, riding in wide circles, who shot bottles that were hanging from a line they'd strung across the arena! That Danny thought, was more for the enjoyment of watching...it was nifty, but there definitely wasn't anything really special about it. If you couldn't hit a fairly stationary bottle from the back of your horse, you probably shouldn't be wearing a weapon. He grinned at his next thought. The person who shot a flaming arrow through a tiny hoop, that was _all_ the way across the arena, that had been pretty amazing.

When the show broke for lunch, the two wandered over to a cart where a man in an apron, was selling food. JD couldn't make out what the sign on the side of the cart said, but the man grinned as the boys got close. He was waving some kind of utensil in one hand, while stirring a huge bowl of...something that sat on the cart.

"Pork and 'kraut?" he asked, his accent heavy enough JD almost couldn't make out what he'd said, watching as the man dished some of the bowl's contents into a smaller container, without waiting for either of them to respond.

"Pork and _what?_ " JD asked, peering into the bowl the man held out to him with a clearly confused look.

"Kraut...It's...cabbage, JD." Danny whispered, before quietly engaging the man in conversation. JD watched his friend in disbelief for a few seconds before he was unable to keep quiet.

"Danny! How do you...Do you understand him?" JD asked in awe. Danny ignored JD's question, still talking to the merchant. Frowning a bit, JD watched Danny hand the merchant some coins. Why was it he felt he didn't know a lot about Danny when he was pretty sure, Danny knew everything about him? Huh. Danny turned slightly to hand JD the bowl the man had handed him.

"Yeah, I do." Danny answered JD's previous question, nodding at something the merchant said and taking the second bowl the man handed him.

"Thank you." Danny said, elbowing JD when his friend just stood there.

"Yeah, thank you!" JD stuttered, lifting his bowl as if in indication of what he was thanking the man for. Danny shook his head with a bit of a grin and headed away from the small food cart, knowing JD would follow him.

Leading them back towards the small cluster of trees that they'd sheltered the horses under when they arrived that morning, Danny listened to JD ramble on behind him, not sure he wanted to answer even half the ridiculous questions pouring from his curious friend. Not that the younger boy was giving him any chance to respond anyway, the inquiries just tumbling from his mouth like water in a creek after a heavy rain.

"Do you know that man?"

"What language was that?"

"Does Jess know you speak another language?"

"What's this food again?"

"What'd he say to you?"

"Did you learn it in the gang?"

"Why would someone in the gang teach you another language?"

Danny walked a bit faster, getting slightly annoyed with the turn JD's questions were taking. He still had no idea why he'd _ever_ mentioned to JD that he'd been in a gang. Not that JD hadn't been good to his word. He hadn't told anyone else. And, Danny hadn't been dumb enough to tell JD _what_ gang he'd been in, but it's not like his last name wasn't a dead giveaway. He wasn't sure why JD hadn't connected the dots yet, truth be told. He supposed his Irish roots showing through with his slight accent and his bright red hair didn't lend much to the notion of his relation to the gang.

For the love of all that was good and decent though, couldn't his friend stop firing questions at him? Didn't JD need to _breathe_? Letting out a sigh as he neared Banjo, he gave a gentle rub to the horses head and grinned when the horse bumped his shoulder in return. "You can't have this, ya beggar." Danny spoke softly to the large dapple gray. He sat down next to Banjo's front legs, letting out a chuckle as he felt his horse picking at his hair.

"Daannnny, ain't ya gonna tell me anything?!" JD's clearly whining voice came from the other side of Banjo, and Danny debated saying no, actually almost ordered his friend to stop talking and eat. He quickly dismissed that though, figuring it would just bring more whining. Sighing heavily, Danny took a quick bite of his meal before answering.

"Dutch, JD. The man was speaking Dutch. I had...relatives when I was small. They taught me." Danny stuffed another bite of the food in his mouth, wanting to savor this food he hadn't had in ages, but could remember his Aunt…

"Danny! How come you never told me you could talk in 'nother language?" JD's voice preceded him, as he came around Danger, and under Banjo's head, to drop down next to Danny, his hazel eyes wide with curiosity. He still held his bowl of food, but he hadn't taken even a bite, if Danny's guess was correct and he used that to his advantage.

"JD, eat. For it gets cold." Danny spoke quietly, pointing at JD's bowl with his fork, before popping yet another bite in his mouth and ignoring JD's frown.

Back at the arena an hour later, JD was hanging off the railing, watching as men began to set up large crates near one end of the arena.

"Whatcha think they're gonna do, Danny?" JD began bouncing in place on the railing, unable to keep still, his excitement almost tangible. It seemed to leak onto Danny, as the older teen jumped onto the fence himself and climbed to the top, straddling it.

"I don't know JD, but I bet it'll be….."

"Hey! Quit that for you break the fence!" The annoyed call came from a burly man carrying a long piece of wood over his shoulder. He paused in his trek across the arena to add a glare to his warning, obviously expecting the boys to obey.

Danny jumped down quickly, a stricken look crossing his face just long enough for JD to notice.

"JD, get down!" Danny hissed, watching the man in the arena cautiously.

Grumbling, JD did so, Danny letting out a relieved breath of air when JD's feet hit the ground.

"We weren't hurting the fence none," JD said, moving back to the fence once the man continued on his journey. Despite his words, JD didn't climb the fence again, but looked over his shoulder at Danny and asked, "Why'd that man scare ya?"

Giving JD an exasperated look, Danny shook his head. "Not scared! He was upset. Ain't giving no one reason to get mad at me."

JD shrugged, not entirely believing his red headed friend but letting it go for the moment. Turning back to the arena, JD bounced up on his toes to see over the top railing and was quickly redirected from pestering Danny with questions, exclaiming, "I think they're making a jump, Danny!"

Danny moved to JD's side and they watched the men finish their set up. "Definitely a jump, JD!" Danny agreed a moment later. They continued watching as two young men leading horses entered the opposite side of the arena. Danny looked back and forth from the horses, to the "jumps" on the other side before looking at JD, his eyes bright with understanding. JD nodded before he could say a thing.

"Racing _and_ jumping, Danny!"

The boys watched as a third set of two men on horseback raced down the arena, clearing the jumps within seconds of each other and heading back the other way. The announcement at the start of the race had said there were five sets of racers signed up. They'd be eliminated time wise as they moved along in the event.

As the racers came to a halt, Danny suddenly wished Banjo wasn't such a large horse. It'd be awfully fun to try racing….and not nearly as dangerous as half the stuff they'd seen so far. But, racing wasn't really the large quarter horse's best ability. He grinned as he heard Jess's voice in his head, " _Danny, that horse of yours is better suited to wagon pulling than cattle ranching. Maybe we should get you another horse?"_ Danny shook his head. Yeah, there was no way his Banjo would win any kind of race and even knowing that Jess was teasing him, there was no way he was giving up his big lug of a horse either. The horse was the only connection he had left to…

"Danger could beat 'em all, know that Danny?" Danny startled from his thoughts at JD's words and he quickly shook his head, frowning in what he hoped was a convincing manner.

"Don't even _think_ about it, JD! Mr. Wilmington would _really_ kill you...and _me_! Cuz I brought you here….And Jess..." Danny shuddered, not wanting to even entertain those thoughts, despite having just been thinking the same thing. "Just, no!" he added as fiercely as he could. To Danny's surprise, JD laughed.

"I ain't racing Danger like that. Just saying, he's fast enough."

Staring at JD a moment longer, Danny's face broke out in a grin and he shoved JD's shoulder. "Better not. _I_ may kill ya if you try!"

The rest of the afternoon passed so quickly that Danny couldn't believe it when he looked up to see the sun had shifted in the sky and would be setting soon. After the races, they had watched more trick riding, even one where the lady on horseback did a handstand in the saddle! But, he was pretty sure his favorite was the knife throwing competition they'd watched. It had made him wish he was more comfortable around Mr. Jackson than he was. He knew that JD's brother's skills were quite good, but the man in the arena had done a whole bunch of fancy moves, twisting and twirling his knives before aiming and hitting targets...and he'd even hit an apple that was sitting on someone's head!

Danny wondered just how hard that could be….he thought about asking Mr. Jackson, but quickly dismissed it as a sure fire way to get himself in hot water with the healer. He winced as he thought about how angry the man might get...though Danny was _pretty_ sure it was more likely he'd give out some lecture about safety. Unable to stop himself, he posed the question to JD to verify, and the younger boy looked absolutely horrified that Danny had even thought about asking his older brother such a ridiculous question.

A parade of white horses came into the arena next, doing fancy steps, walking sideways and backwards, then rearing up all in a line, all at the exact same time. It was nifty but neither Danny or JD were really paying attention as they were too busy talking about the knife thrower's abilities, and _not_ Mr. Jackson's.

The two stopped talking minutes later, as another announcement was being hollered across the arena, thanking everyone for coming and spending the day with the crew of Zeppelli's Traveling Trick Show. The next words from the man on horseback had JD and Danny looking warily at each other and backing away from the arena fence as if it was about to light on fire, while most other folks were gathering closer.

Fireworks were no longer overly appealing to either boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay! Life, work, kids, it's been a bit much lately. Then the muses wanted to add a whole new scene in this chapter, that I already thought was close to done and it took a bit to work it in, and shift things around for it to fit appropriately. I hope it is worth the wait! I'm building on Danny's character more here, and his relationship with JD. Danny is my absolute favorite OC character I've ever created and there's a whole crazy backstory he's got going on. Bear with me as I do my best to bring that around. :)

I also have added - for the simple fun of it - a scene with a young Annie Oakley. History buffs, please don't shoot me. I am well aware of the illogical-ness of this. The year is right, but the location is not, nor is the time of year (For anyone who wants to know, the exact dates/location may never be known, but the generalized thoughts are that 15 yr old Annie Oakley won a shooting match against Frank Butler, Thanksgiving Day, 1875, in Illinois. Info obtained from Wikipedia) I also am not super familiar with guns/rifles/target shooting, and got my info from the articles I read on Annie and basic google searches about rifle capabilities, so if there is incorrect info on how she shoots, her targets or anything, I apologize. Do remember, this is fiction. ;)

Reminders - there is _**no**_ CP in this story as a whole, but it is discussed/mentioned later on. As always, a huge THANK YOU to I'maMePanda, she's just awesome. No other words for it. :) (Go read her stories, if you haven't before, especially Rebuilding! Excellence!)

I am also going to be uploading the first Chapter of my M7 AU today...please check that out!

On to this story!

-wws-wws-wws-

They left the corral, both quiet in their own thoughts.

"JD?" Danny asked as they neared their horses.

"Yeah, Danny?" JD turned so he was walking backward and gave a small grin at his friend.

"Betcha the knife thrower wouldn't give us a lecture, huh?" JD stumbled to a stop, looking at Danny in surprise. He shook his head and then shrugged.

"I dunno, Danny, but I'm not sure I want to find out…."

Danny moved past JD, bumping his shoulder gently as he did so. He walked up to the horses and stopped to lean against Banjo.

"The mans got to be used to questions, JD. It's a trick show...right?"

-wws-wws-wws-

"Excuse me, Miss?" Danny's voice was just above a whisper. He could feel JD hovering behind him, the younger boy's apprehension almost tangible as they waited for the young lady to respond. She stood near the back of a small wagon, and she turned slowly, her long skirt swaying gently as she did so.

"Yes?" she was younger than Danny'd expected and as her blue eyes met his green in a mixture of curiosity and impatience, he gulped, unable to continue his original thought. He stared at her as she shifted her weight to one foot and shoved a wild mass of dark brown hair over her shoulder. "Did ya need something?" she asked, pulling a long mahogany barreled rifle in front of her and tipping her head to one side. Danny glanced over his shoulder and saw JD's mouth was wide open, eyes as big as saucers. Danny looked back at the girl and then to her rifle.

"You….I mean...we..um...do you know.." Danny stopped talking and cleared his throat in an attempt to forge sentences that made sense. He tore his eyes from the rifle she held effortlessly and looked her in the eyes, realizing fairly quickly that though she looked stern, her eyes were grinning. "Sorry. Um...do you know...are you part of the show?" Danny couldn't quite keep the awe from his voice.

A grin crossed her face and her eyes took on a look Danny couldn't name.

"I will be. Soon as I win the match in the morning..." she trailed off watching for Danny's reaction, but all Danny could do was stare at her. He thought she was amazing!

But, then he heard JD take a deep breath from right behind him, and he involuntarily sighed, turning quickly in hopes to stop his friend from saying anything that could get them in trouble with the gun toting young lady, but he wasn't fast enough.

"You're in the show?! That's not...but how...you can't...you're a girl!"

Groaning audibly, Danny slapped a hand over JD's big mouth before the boy could spurt off more damaging "observations" than he already had. The young lady- Danny wasn't gonna call her a girl even in his thoughts- was getting upset, as she shifted her gun to her opposite hand and frowned at JD, over Danny's shoulder.

"You calling me a liar?" Her blue eyes grew darker with her words and Danny watched her grip get tighter on her rifle.

"No!" He exclaimed, taking a step back, dragging JD with him as he did. "I... _we_ believe you. Do you know...know where we can find the knife thrower?" Danny rushed his words as JD wrenched free from Danny's hold.

"Can you prove it?" JD asked before she could answer Danny's question, and the younger boy tipped his head to the side, curiosity obviously peaked. Danny groaned a second time, but a sly grin crossed the young lady's face and she gave a short nod.

"Yes."

Taking hold of JD's arm, Danny tugged him backwards some more before warily venturing, "Yes?"

"Of course I can prove it. What kind of dunce enters a contest with no skills?" the young lady's words snapped out in obvious frustration, one handing moving to her hip.

Danny's mouth dropped open again and he just stared as JD moved around him.

"I'm JD. That's Danny. Who're you?" JD stuck his hand out with his words and it only took a moment for another grin to replace her scowl. She grabbed JD's hand and shook it.

"I'm Annie."

-wws-wws-wws-

Danny dropped to the ground, then looked back up into the tree. He turned and looked skeptically at Annie.

"Are you sure...did you really want..." Danny couldn't finish his sentence. It was like every time he tried to talk to her, his tongue suddenly wrapped in cotton and his words got stuck.

"It's fine." Annie said, her tone quiet. She'd requested targets minutes before, and Danny had pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket. At her next request, he had then tied it to the highest branch in the tree he could reach. He could barely see it now. JD had found a tin can, Danny didn't even bother asking where. Annie had pointed out a rock that was a ridiculous distance away from them and JD had just gone to place the can on top of it. Danny was starting to get concerned that she was going to end up making herself look silly in an effort to make a point.

"Are you really sure…." he started to say, then stopped, unable to say more. It was as if he was jinxed by his own mouth, and she turned an annoyed look on him.

"I _said_ it was fine."

Danny nodded, swallowing roughly and said no more as he waited for JD to come back. As soon as he did, Annie's whole demeanor shifted, as if she was now a few years older. She straightened, picked up her rifle and examined it closely, rubbing at some imaginary blemish on the butt, before pinning Danny with a look.

"I'm going over there." she pointed behind them, turned and walked away without another word.

Danny and JD looked at each other briefly, JD shrugging, before they followed her. When she stopped walking, Danny could no longer see his handkerchief, except when the wind rattled the leaves a bit and the tin can was like a spec on the horizon. Annie lifted the rifle to her shoulder….

Danny stared. He couldn't do anything else. A quick glance over his shoulder and he could see JD stood in almost reverential awe himself. Annie had fired off two shots in succession, and then they had followed her back to her targets. She had taken out the can, knocking it right off the rock, and she'd shot a hole clean through his bandanna- he wasn't sure how he was going to explain _that_ to Jess. But, she...she just...Danny just couldn't help it, even his thoughts were muddled. He was beyond amazed. There was no way this young lady was losing that match. Just _no way_. He'd never seen precision like she showed. _Ever_. And he knew some pretty talented shots.

"You're better than Vin." JD's awe filled voice came from behind him and Danny felt himself nodding. He hadn't seen all of Vin's skills, but knew from the way JD talked about him that the tracker was also a talented sharpshooter. For JD to give that kind of credit to any person they didn't know, over one of his brother's just gave more credence to Annie's skills.

The dark haired girl grinned as she put her box of bullets back in the pocket of her skirt and shoved her mass of hair out of her face once more.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?!" the words left Danny's mouth before he could stop them and he blushed three shades of red when she turned to give him a fierce look.

"Had too." Her clipped response was sharpened by her grabbing her rifle and whirling away from the boys, storming back towards her wagon.

Watching her walk away, Danny whistled low and quiet.

"She is one heck of a girl, JD."

-wws-wws-wws-

"She's amazing JD, can you imagine seeing the match she's going to be in?"

JD turned to give his friend a look that clearly said he thought Danny was a bit loco.

"We can't, Danny. Quit talking like that. Buck and Jess would hunt us down if we didn't come back in time and then we'd really catch it." JD shook his head at Danny, not quite sure why his friend was acting this way.

"I know that, JD." Danny grumbled back, following JD through the maze of tents and wagons that were behind the arena. "I just think she..."

"Is amazing. I know, Danny. You've said it five times." JD cut Danny off mid sentence, and then pointed, jumping a little in sudden excitement.

"I think that's him over there! C'mon, Danny!"

JD grabbed Danny's arm and tugged him toward a dark brown tent next to a rickety looking wagon. A man, whose long hair was braided half way down his back, stood between the tent and wagon, a knife in each hand. As they neared him, he tossed the one in his left hand up into the air, it spun in a wide arc and he caught it on it's decent.

JD was unable to hold back a surprised, "Wow!"

The man turned, now juggling the two knives, and grinned at the boys.

"Hey Boys. What're you doing back here?" he asked without stopping his juggling.

Actually, Danny thought he picked up speed a little and this time, _he_ grabbed JD and pulled him closer to the man. When they were within a few feet, Danny stopped suddenly, jerking JD to a quick stop as well. Both boys stared in disbelief, neither able to speak. From this distance Danny could see the man's arms were covered in tattoos. JD gaped, while Danny mimicked a fish, his mouth opening and closing numerous times. The man watched them for another moment, then abruptly stopped his juggling, both knives back in his hands.

"Can I help you boys with something?" He asked quietly.

"You...you've got pictures...on your _arms_!" JD's awed voice brought Danny to his senses.

"Sorry...he..we ain't never seen...I mean...we wanted..." Danny trailed off, sounding just as miserable as he felt. He was having no luck today and he was sure the man was going to angrily shoo them off.

"Don't bite. C'mere." while it took Danny a minute to process what the man said, JD responded instantly, darting forward and talking a mile a minute.

"What _are_ they? Can I see 'em all? Why'd you get them? How'd they get on your arms? Did it hurt? How many do you have? I ain't never seen anyone with pictures on their arms before! Wait'll I tell Ezra! And _Vin_! Mister, can we see you throw knives up close? Can you show us how? What happens if..."

"Whoa there, kid. Breathe." the man gave a soft chuckle with the order. He moved to the wagon, setting the knives inside, and then turned, holding his arms out for JD, as he explained. "They're tattoos. I have a few. Got most to remember stuff." JD looked at the man's arms, then over to Danny and hollered,

"Danny! C'mere! _Look-it_!"

Danny slowly edged closer, carefully watching the man for any shift in mood. He wanted to be ready in case the man got tired of JD's questions and he needed to get them both away quickly. JD may have not seen tattoos before, but Danny had. And some of the men that had them….

"C'mere kid. Ain't gonna hurt ya." The knife thrower spoke quietly, interrupting Danny's thoughts, but the underlying firmness in the man's tone actually soothed his frayed nerves. He nodded at the man and moved closer, grinning a bit at JD when the boy pointed to a horse on the man's upper arm and asked,

"What's the horse for, Mister?!"

The man patiently responded that it was in honor of a horse he had when he was younger than JD. JD nodded and continued his relentless queries about the man's various tattoos.

"Oh! What about this one?" JD asked, pointing to a gun on the man's opposite arm. Figuring the man had had enough, and they hadn't even asked him about knife throwing yet, Danny shook his head and touched JD's shoulder.

"JD, you've asked him enough questions. We didn't come here to ask about his tattoos..." Danny paused, looking up at the man in concern, "I mean…we like them...I just don't...we wanted to….knives. How did you...can we see...wanted to..." Again Danny was unable to finish his thought and he could feel himself blushing.

The quiet man chuckled and reached out to cuff Danny's shoulder. "C'mere. This way. Not the first to ask."

Blinking in surprise, Danny again watched for a few seconds as his best friend trotted after the knife thrower, while he just stood there.

"Danny!" JD's yell got him moving and he found himself standing just behind JD, watching as the knife thrower ducked inside the tent and came back out with a handful of items.

"What is it you want to know….or see?" he asked as he set everything on the back of the wagon.

"We wanted to know how you learned to shoot an apple off someone's head!" JD exclaimed, bouncing on his toes, his excitement amusing the knife thrower. He smiled at JD and then set up a chair, plunking a potato sack on it, followed by an apple on top of the sack. He turned back to the boys when he was done his set up, and made a shooing motion with his hands.

"Back up, Boys."

They obeyed, watching him retrieve his knife from the wagon and moving a good distance from where his target sat.

"Key here is aim and steady hands. Takes _years_ of practice." the last part was a warning and both boys knew it.

"Yessir." Danny whispered and he heard JD echoing him. Though he couldn't speak for JD, Danny knew there was no way _he'd_ *actually* try something this dangerous. Jess would kill him. Dig a grave and bury him 6 feet under. Jess had a thing about safety. He shook his head. He didn't want think about Jess right now! He focused back on the knife thrower.

"Never throw a knife if you ain't been taught how... knives have to be weighted correctly for throwing. And then you just…." the knife thrower trailed off as he pulled his arm back, eyed the apple for a span of a few seconds and let the knife fly. It landed square in the middle of the apple, causing the fruit to roll off the potato sack onto the ground.

"Golly!" JD breathed the word at the same time Danny let out a "Dang!"

Seeing it up close was a hundred times better than from behind the arena fences.

The knife thrower smiled at their reactions, walking over to collect his knife from the apple and set it back in the wagon once he'd wiped it clean on the leg of his jeans.

"Your folks gonna be looking for you boys?" the man asked, walking back towards where the boys stood. The two eyed each other, and JD shrugged slightly, leaving Danny to answer. He tried to look the man in the eye, but failed and felt the heat rushing to his face. He stammered a bit as he shifted from foot to foot.

"Well, no...I mean, yes. They are waiting….they're just not...um..." he swallowed hard and tried to finish his sentence, but before he could, the knife thrower suddenly grinned.

"Was it worth the trouble?" he asked, turning back to the wagon and rifling through something, while he waited for one of them to answer.

Danny flushed for about the tenth time in the last few hours. He was trying to forget about Jess and yet, everywhere he turned….!

"Maybe." he finally whispered, grudgingly answering the knife thrower's question, while pretending to not see JD's stricken look. Seemed JD hadn't been thinking about Buck, the way Danny had been thinking about Jess. At least not until this moment.

The knife thrower turned back to the boys, handing them each a small wooden knife souvenir. "Made 'em myself." the knife thrower said quietly, "You boys best get going."

Danny nodded, grabbing the still stricken looking JD by his shirt sleeve.

"Thank you!" Danny said, as he dragged JD away from the man and back towards their horses. They walked in silence for the next few minutes, both boys caught up in their own thoughts.

"Danny..." JD whispered once they'd reached the horses and were packing up their saddlebags, before getting the horses ready.

"Yeah JD?" Danny whispered back. His guilt was suddenly back in full force and Jess's words from a few months ago kept running through his head.

"Buck's gonna kill me if he finds out we were here alone." JD's words made Danny's guilt bubble up and over. This was _not_ how this was supposed to go!

"But JD, _no one_ knows." Danny _had_ to keep up his facade. The whole point of this trip was to prove he didn't _need_ a guardian. And, so far they were doing that, and doing it fairly well. "And we get to camp tonight before going home in the morning. Aren't ya a little excited about that?" Danny asked, as he looked over Banjo's back at JD, who was wrestling a bit with Danger, trying to get his bridle on.

JD paused in his fight with the stubborn equine, and looked over his shoulder, giving a little grin.

"Yeah….do you know any scary stories to tell over the fire?"

"I don't know any, but I could probably make one up." Danny said with a grin, climbing into the saddle. This was more like it!

"I know a great story!" JD said, as he stuck one foot in the stirrup and practically launched himself into Danger's saddle. "See there's this man, who lived in a big old house and he kept hearing these noises at night, but he couldn't find anything. He lived by himself, but he was sure he heard voices." JD turned Danger away from the tree they'd been tied near all day, and continued his story. "And one night he was looking in the bedrooms, trying to find the noise and you know what he saw, Danny?"

Danny shook his head, turning Banjo to follow JD.

"No idea, JD." Danny replied, rolling his eyes, knowing this story was going to last awhile, fully embellished in JD style.

"He saw eyes! Just beady red eyes staring in the window...but he was on the second floor, and…..."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Everyone! Sorry for such a long wait! It's been pretty busy for my kids and I, and as much as I love to write, there are times when having littles does not leave time to sit in front of a computer, no matter what I'd like. ;)

But, here is Chapter 3 and I do hope you all enjoy it! HUGE thanks to ImaMePanda as always! She is constantly peppered with emails from me, questions and proofreading and she's just awesome sauce!

Also! I have **never** written scary stories - I don't even "like" scary stories, so please keep that in mind when the boys are telling theirs, combined with the fact that this is Old West M7 and this JD is fairly innocent in all senses of the word and that Danny has a bit of a still unknown past. ;)

Kneeling at the small creek, Danny filled his canteen, then JD's. He sighed, shifting a bit, attempting to relieve the weight on his left knee. He'd jumped off Banjo when they stopped here, landing on a rock and twisting his knee. The last thing he wanted was to be injured and have to see Mr. Jackson so quickly upon coming back in to town. He'd probably spill his misdeeds if the man looked at him wrong. They weren't even all that far from Four Corners now, could likely get home before it was too late, but he had no desire to return yet. Neither did JD. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his friend collecting sticks and dry leaves to start their fire and he grinned. He may get killed once they got back, but until then, he was going to enjoy himself. Standing up slowly, his knee twinged a bit and he grimaced.

"Gee Danny, it's still hurting ya?" JD asked, dropping the handful of sticks he held onto the pile on the ground. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, but I'll be ok." He moved slowly back to the horses and returned the canteens to their saddlebags. After a momentary pause, he turned and limped back to where JD had dropped the sticks, sinking to the ground next to it.

Crouching next to Danny, JD tipped his head, thinking. When the younger boy started bouncing on his toes, Danny looked at him warily.

"Nate made Vin keep ice on his knee...I bet I can help...where's your bandanna!?" JD asked as he inched even closer to Danny and held out his hand. Danny retrieved it from his back pocket and handed it over. JD flashed a big grin at his friend as he jumped to his feet.

"Stay there, Danny! I'll get the fire going! Remember...I'm helping, so don't move!" JD's tone almost held an order in it, despite being backed by the dark haired boys regular energy. Danny bit back a retort. Since when did JD tell _him_ what to do? But as his knee throbbed again, Danny decided that sitting wouldn't be a _bad_ thing, and he shifted to relieve the pressure on his knee again.

JD dropped to his knees beside Danny moments later, and handed him the now soaking wet bandanna.

"It goes on your knee! Keep it there, while I get some rocks for the fire! Danny, you listening? You'll feel better, honest!" JD said as he stood up, but remained hovering over Danny for a few more seconds when Danny didn't move to comply. "C'mon Danny! Please?" Frowning, Danny began to roll up his pant leg, muttering to himself about JD not needing to be so bossy as JD bounced away in his search for rocks.

Without looking at his knee, Danny slapped the cold cloth on it, and immediately let out a pained yelp. Whipping the bandanna off, he stared at his knee in surprise. It was a tiny bit swollen and a little red, and how could that have happened in less than an hour?

 **-WWS-WWS-**

"You better have Nate look-it that when we get back. It still don't look too good, huh, Danny?" JD's voice came from across the fire and Danny shook his head sadly as he carefully replaced the bandanna, only wincing a bit when the cold cloth hit his knee this time.

"Naw, but I'll be ok. Don't want no one to know I'm hurt." Danny quietly answered JD's question, but his tone had taken on the edge that JD recognized from before they'd even left to come on this trip.

"But, Danny….Nate can.." JD pleaded, shifting a bit to toss a stick in the fire, small sparks kicking up a bit as it landed.

"No JD!" Danny's snapped response confirmed JD's thought and shaking his head, he grabbed the gunny sack from beside him, pulling out apples, bread, cheese, and, his personal favorite, cookies from Mrs. Potter, and silently offered Danny some. Danny shook his head, leaning back on his hands as he peered up at the darkening sky.

"Want to hear my story, JD?" Danny asked quietly after a few moments. JD grinned, nodding eagerly, seeing Danny's unspoken apology for what it was.

"Yes!" JD tossed the food back in the gunny sack, with the exception of the cookie he held in his teeth and scooted closer to Danny, dropping the sack between his feet and Danny's. He chewed noisily on his cookie for only a few seconds, before erupting with words again. "What's it going to be about, Danny, huh? A ghost? A vampire? I bet I don't get scared, betcha anything at'll!"

Danny grinned at his friend and shook his head. "Not betting you anything. Didn't Buck tell you to quit throwing out 'bets' like you were Ezra?" Danny teased, reaching into the gunny sack and retrieving an apple. JD bounced a little, from where he knelt and made a face as Danny polished his apple on his shirt.

"No, he told me to _think_ before I do...not that I _shouldn't._ You gonna tell your story or not?" JD answered a bit grudgingly, and Danny held back another tease, knowing as well as JD did what Buck really meant.

"Yeah, I'm gonna. Ya scared of monsters, JD?" Danny watched his friend, a smile gracing his face for a split second when JD's snort didn't quite hide the look that crossed his face first.

"Naw. What kind of monsters? Ya know, there ain't no such thing as monsters, right Danny?" Danny nodded.

"Course there isn't, JD. Don't be silly. Just a story." Danny replied, then took a bite of his apple, watching JD as his friends energy seemed to build like the pressure that made a gun go off, and right before the dark haired boy shot to his feet, Danny swallowed, and continued, "It was a night, kinda like this one….just about dark, when two brothers went out to go night fishing...you ever done that JD? Night fishing?" Danny paused, as he sat a bit straighter, adjusting his leg and rearranging the bandanna a smidge.

"Yessssssssssss!" JD about exploded, jumping to his feet, "Course I have, who hasn't? Gimme the bandanna!" The boy didn't wait for Danny to hand it over, simply grabbed it, raced to the creek and was back in record time, handing it to Danny as he said, "Now, keep going, huh? And, don't ask me no more silly questions."

"Ok, JD," Danny chuckled out, "they were headed to the creek and when they got there, one of 'em saw a big old footprint in the mud."

"Probably a wolf or a cougar..." JD muttered.

"Now who's stalling the story, huh?" Danny snapped back with a laugh.

"Ain't stalling nothing! If it's near a creek, that's what it probably was, that's all...maybe a bear..." JD glared at Danny, but when his friend shook his head sagely JD's glare softened. "It wasn't?" he asked, his tone laced with curiosity and skepticism. Danny reached out to cuff JD's shoulder.

"What kind of scary story would it be if it was something that was _supposed_ to be there?" A sheepish grin crossed JD's face and he shrugged. Chuckling, Danny shifted so he faced JD a bit better.

"The print was easily this big!" Danny made an O shape with his hands in indication of something twice as big as any print JD had ever seen. "And the boys knew they should tell their folks, but they decided to see what they could find." Danny grinned when JD nodded, like he approved of the boys' decision, and Danny went on, "They went across the creek and then into a swamp…" Danny paused, in a bit of suspense, the look on JD's face telling him it was working and then continued again, "There was another huge print, and this time…"

 **-WWS-WWS-**

When Danny finished his tale, JD looked at him in disbelief. "A two headed monster that lives in the river and only eats crawfish? Is that the best you can come up with?" JD looked like he really thought Danny was crazy, but Danny could tell his younger friend was a teeny bit concerned as he cautiously looked over his shoulder at the creek behind them.

"You got a better one? Not like your monster story was much better. A monster who scares people with his red eyes?" Danny gave a little snort. Frowning, JD reached out to grab a pine cone and toss it in Danny's general direction, Danny simply batting it away.

"Fine. No more monsters stories. How 'bout...how 'bout..."JD paused, thinking. Suddenly, he grinned devilishly. "You ever hear about The Widow?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I've heard about lots of widows, JD." JD made a noise that sounded a bit like Mr. Larabee did when he was annoyed and Danny couldn't help but chuckle. "C'mon Larabee, tell me all about _The Widow_." JD tried to keep up his frown, couldn't and started laughing.

"Betcha you wouldn't joke like that in town!"

Danny blanched and glanced around the campsite in the fading evening light, as if expecting Chris to jump out and lecture him. JD threw another pine cone in Danny's direction. "Quit it." Danny said, when the pine cone glanced off his upper arm and he made a face at JD. "Just tell your story."

JD looked at his friend for another moment, before nodding slowly.

"Sure, Danny. There was this lady whose husband was a boat captain. And whenever the captain was gonna come home from his travels, she would go up on their roof...you ever heard of these big houses with places to walk on top?"

Danny shook his head. "Naw. Ain't never really seen much big houses."

"Well, they look like a porch, but on top of a big house. So you can watch the ocean...you ever seen the ocean, Danny?"

Danny shook his head again. "Naw, JD, just tell the story. Ask me questions later."

"K, Danny. But, the ocean's neat...and they have a lot of 'em back East. Houses with the walks on top, I mean. And the lady would go up there every time, she did it for years. She'd walk around waiting until she could see the Captain's ship coming in. Well, one time, there was this really bad storm and it was dark when they were supposed to come in. But that lady was up there anyway, watching and watching. Pacing in the rain and the wind and just awful stuff. And she waited all night, watching those waves crashing into rocks on the shore and staring out into the water, and she just stayed there until the morning. And she didn't even go down then, just staying up there until the word came that the Captain's boat had crashed and broke to pieces. They couldn't find anyone, Danny. They searched and searched for days...and the whole time, that lady went up to the roof every night, watching for the boat. But the boat was gone and so were the people on it. But she kept going up there for weeks and weeks and not coming down til the morning. People got used to seeing her there. Then, one night there was another storm and she went up, and kept pacing and pacing. But sometime in the night….something happened...and when morning came, she was gone! They searched for her, but she just disappeared! All they found on the porch up there was a white shawl. The lady was never seen again….but guess what?"

Danny was listening intently, wide eyes looking even wider against the orange of the campfire. When he shrugged, JD grinned, the devilish look creeping back as he watched his friend. Waiting only another second, he continued, dropping his voice a notch and working hard at talking slower.

"The next storm, there were people out looking for their ships...and they looked over near the lady's house and there it was." JD paused again, watching Danny shift a bit, a look he couldn't quite read on the older boy's face.

"The shawl...the one they'd taken off the roof...was blowing in the wind...but on the shoulders of a lady dressed all in white...and she was just pacing and pacing...and someone ran over to the house to check on the lady. But when they got up there..." JD paused again and Danny swallowed hard, " _There. Was. No. One. There_." JD finished his sentence in a hushed voice, and watched his friend, who was obviously growing nervous.

"No one?" Danny asked. JD was barely able to make out the words that the red headed teen had spoken, they were said so quietly.

JD nodded, leaned forward and began again,

"No one. The shawl was there though. So the person took it...and they searched for the lady again….but still didn't find her. The next storm, it happened again. A lady in white, wearing the shawl was seen, but this time instead of pacing, it kind of looked like she was _floating_ , and when people went to check it out, there was only a shawl again….it happened a bunch of times, and every time, they'd find a shawl and no lady. You know what it was? _It. Was. Her. Ghost_. The white widow's _ghost_! She was still looking for her Captain, and he weren't never coming in….but her ghost needed him….and she left the shawl like a reminder...and you know what they call them porches now? Widow's walks, Danny. They call them widow walks and they say you can see her and other widows walking them porches all through out the night, anywhere the ocean is. Ghost widows looking for their husbands who ain't _never_ coming back cuz the sea took 'em."

Danny shivered and sat quietly, trying to digest what he'd just heard. He had to admit, to himself at least, that that was definitely scarier than either of the monster stories, and he had to resist the urge to scout the area around their campsite for floating white apparitions.

The two sat in silence for another few minutes, before JD jumped to his feet again, unable to sit still. He snagged the drying bandanna from Danny's knee and moved cautiously, looking around himself much more than he had the last time, to the creek. The evening light was almost gone into complete darkness and he shuddered a little with the way the remaining light shimmered off the water. He returned with the wet cloth, setting it carefully on Danny's knee, and moved back to his spot near the fire. He grabbed his canteen and took a drink, then passed it to Danny.

"Thanks, JD," Danny whispered as he took the canteen and looked at his knee, moving the bandanna to fully cover the sore spot. JD nodded back and returned the canteen to the ground beside him when Danny gave it back.

"You got a story you wanna tell?" JD asked when he turned back from where he set the canteen down. Danny gave a slow grin and with a nod, he began,

"It was the middle of the war….on a dark night...a dark and _stormy_ night….there was gunfire and cannon booms. People yelling and the sounds of bodies thudding against the ground…." Danny stifled a grin at the almost instant wide eyed look that crossed his friend's face. He grabbed a few sticks from the pile next to him and threw them on the fire, the orange glow momentarily getting brighter as the flames turned the sticks black within seconds.

"There was this one man...a Major. A big strong man who everyone listened to. He gave orders and people rushed to do them." Danny paused again, watching emotions flicker over JD's face, by the light of the fire, "And he was standing on the hill, barking out his orders, people rushing back 'n forth, more gunfire...more canon booms." Again Danny paused. JD was vibrating in his obvious fight to stay quiet and Danny quickly resumed the story before his hazel eyed friend burst like a bubble over Mrs. Edwards' sink.

"The Major heard a hail of gunfire and dropped to his knees, moving his gun to sit atop a rock. He began to take out the enemy from his spot on the ground, even as he heard his men dropping like flies around him..."

"Danny! This is a war story, not a scary story!" JD broke into Danny's story, unable to hold back any longer. He moved to his knees and rocked forward on them, to get a better look at Danny's face. Danny grinned back at him, his smile looking more evil than nice as the flames flickered a bit with the light rustle of a breeze.

"Patience, JD," Danny said softly. "The Major stood up a few minutes later as the gunfire died down, he looked about at the activity around him and then suddenly," Danny paused for just a second, then clapped his hands together loudly as he shouted, " **BOOM**!" startling JD so much, that the boy fell back. He landed on his rear, and rolled to the side before he managed to get control of his body.

" _DANNY_!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and slamming his fists against his hips with a glare that had Danny not been giggling like a school child, probably would've made him a tad nervous. Peering up as innocently as he could, green eyes wide, but filled with mirth, he put his hands in front of him as he tried to stem the giggles.

"It was just the cannon, JDm" he said, placating him the best he could around what was turning into chuckles as the image of JD falling over hit him again.

Still glaring, JD took a tentative step forward. "The cannon?" he asked, glare softening. Nodding, Danny grabbed the food sack from between them and dug around for a snack, triumphantly pulling out a cookie, which he offered to JD. JD hit his knees and accepted the cookie, giving a light grin. "Thanks." Danny nodded, as he withdrew another cookie from the bag, dropping cloth bag on the ground when he was done. He took a bite of the cookie and savored it a moment, before continuing with his story.

"The cannon was much closer than it should have been, the enemy was closing in! The Major's men were waiting for his orders, waiting for the next plan or attack...but there was none. Cuz, the Major's body lay on the ground…..headless."

JD's mouth dropped open in obvious shock, but he said nothing...just gaped at Danny in disbelief.

"The men rushed forward and grabbed their Major's body. You know, no matter what JD, they don't leave a man behind. But...they couldn't grab his head...there _was_ no head! The men retreated that night, with no leader and no plan to win the battle….in the morning, they buried the Major.,,,without his head…." Danny trailed off again, enjoying the look on JD's face, though as he glanced around, he had to admit it was awfully dark out. What was that!? He swallowed hard and listened another moment, sighing in relief when the noise he'd heard, came again. _Bullfrogs._ He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts so he could finish the story, as JD was watched him expectantly.

"The Army sent in a new band of soldiers in the following few days. And the war continued on, leaving the Major buried where he was. But….a year or so later, on Halloween night, folks were getting ready to celebrate. There were houses where there hadn't been any the year before. People were setting up big campfires, getting ready for a fun and scary night….and just when the night got dark enough...like it is now, the folks heard a loud noise." Danny paused, but only long enough to catch his breath, "And everyone stopped. Listening. Trying to figure out what such a loud noise was...foot steps. Or, rather horse steps. Loud, echoing over and over. A horse running. The people looked over at the field where the noise seemed to be coming from….and there, racing through the trees was a man, on horseback..." Danny paused again...JD listening with eyes wide.

"Danny?" He whispered a second later...Danny nodded in response to JD's unspoken question.

"Not just _any_ horse and rider. A _headless_ horseman." If Danny hadn't been watching JD so closely, he probably wouldn't have seen the shudder that ran across his friend's body, and he quite purposefully ignored the one that ran across his own, telling himself it was just the wind.

"Every year, JD. The headless horseman rides every year on Halloween night, searching, looking for his head. Always across the same field, the same path. They say if you get in his way... _you'll die_." Danny finished his tale in a voice just above a whisper and watched in satisfaction as another shiver ran across JD. The fire was getting low again, and it was more than dark out now. Danny began to bank the fire, and looked across it at JD a moment later. "Ready to hit the sack?" he asked, nodding towards their gear.

JD shook his head, eyes wide and he scooted across the ground to get closer to Danny, pushing the gunny sack of food out of his way as he did so.

"I ain't, Danny. Not yet...I don't…." JD trailed off and Danny heaved a big sigh. Truthfully, he wasn't exactly interested in going to sleep out in the middle of the pitch black either, but he wasn't about to say it. He was older than JD. And they were supposed to be able to handle this like men.

Except they weren't.

 **-WWS-WWS-WWS-**

Danny looked over at JD, slumped forward a bit in the saddle, but looking around warily every few moments. It wasn't as dark as it could be, but the moon was covered by clouds with only slices of moonlight filtering down through the sparse trees. An owl hooted, his call echoing eerily over the night sky. JD jolted upright in the saddle, Danger lurching forward, and JD dropped the horse's reins, looking around wildly for a moment, before looking back at Danny.

"An owl?" he asked shakily, grabbing Danger's reins and speaking quietly to the startled equine. Danny moved Banjo closer to JD so he could look his friend over.

"Yup. You ok?"

"Will be once I'm in my own bed. C'mon Danny." Danny nodded and followed JD's lead in moving the horses into a slow trot. The buildings were coming into view now, looming like the monsters from the boy's stories and Danny blinked quickly, telling himself they were _just_ buildings. A moment later, he almost yanked Banjo to a terrified halt at the dark blob that appeared to his right, before realizing it was just a shed that stood behind the livery. He brought Banjo to a halt near the side of the building, as JD had just done with Danger.

Danny wanted to be happy they reached town, but it meant they were closer to the peacekeepers, making him more nervous. He didn't want to run into _any_ of them, and he certainly didn't want them, or Jess, to know they had traveled back to Four Corners in the dead of night. Or that the reason they were doing such was because they'd scared themselves so badly with their own stories. He winced slightly, recalling the day Mr. Larabee told him he expected him to use wisdom when it came to his safety. He was certain this would fall under the _don't_ category of that talk. Danny swallowed hard, trying to rid his throat of a lump that wasn't there moments before.

"Danny, you better sleep in my room. You ride onto the ranch this early and Jess'll know something's wrong." JD's voice came out a tired mumble from across the shadowy space between them. Danny shook his head, not that JD could see him, and didn't answer. He heard JD moving around as his friend slid off his horse, before, "Danny, you fall asleep before you get to the ranch and….." Recognizing the truth in JD's words, Danny had to agree and he slid off Banjo, immediately favoring his not-quite-as-sore knee and watching cautiously as they walked their horses towards the back door of the livery.

 **-WWS-WWS-**

Danny had done nothing but toss and turn for the last three hours. He was laying on JD's floor, with a blanket the other boy had dug out of the closet, and one of JD's balled up nightshirts for a pillow. He'd slept with way worse...he'd slept with nothing, and he knew his lack of sleep had nothing to do with the current arrangement, or even his knee. He sat up, noting he could just see the faint reddish hue of very early morning through the window. Running a hand across his eyes and then over his hair, he peered up at JD, and grinned. His friend lay in a tangle of blankets and limbs and he was fairly certain he was snoring softly. Coming to a decision, Danny stood up carefully, putting his weight on his good knee as he folded the blanket and laid it over the end of JD's bed, then crossed the room to hang up the nightshirt on a peg near the dresser. He took another look at JD, whispering a thank you, before exiting the room with a stealth born from past necessities.

Minutes later, he snuck back into the livery, having moved through town quietly, thankfully to have not run into any other early morning risers. Continuing his secret journey, he slipped into Banjo's stall, murmuring an apology to the large horse as he slid the bridle up and over the horse's head. Retrieving Banjo's saddle, he slung it over his shoulder, dust and bits of straw flying up in his face and tickling his nose. Leading his oldest friend down the aisle and out the back door, he finally let loose the sneeze he hadn't thought he'd be able to keep in, then froze, listening for any movement. He sighed when after a moment he heard nothing, moving Banjo out to the edge of town before fully saddling him and carefully climbing atop the patient horse.

"Let's go home, Banjo." Danny leaned forward to whisper in the dapples' ear, and with a tiny nudge of his knees, the horse moved out.

 **-WWS-WWS-**

Danny kept Banjo at a slow steady walk until he was nearly halfway up the long drive that led to the Edward's ranch house. Steering Banjo to the right as he got nearer, he moved out behind the rambling off white farmhouse, hoping it was just dark enough still for no one to notice his arrival. He dismounted when he was nearly to the barn, only wincing a tiny bit as he limped the first few steps, knowing the ride home had caused the lingering ache. He headed for the barn, ready to give the big gray a quick rubdown and some oats, when a soft voice called from somewhere ahead of him.

"Daniel?"

Freezing at the quiet question, he ducked under Banjo's head to look over towards the small chicken coop that sat closer to the house, but to the left of the barn. When he saw Mrs. Edwards heading for him, he had a hard time not fidgeting. The woman had never been anything but kind to him, but how could he possibly have forgotten she was always up really early taking care of those dang birds…? She loved those silly clucking feathered beasts. She'd even told Danny one day when he was helping her fix a piece of their fencing, how she talked to them, and had given them names. He had barely kept himself from chuckling at the info when she had continued by telling him they laid more eggs the gentler she was with them and since she needed the eggs, it was worth it to her. He shrugged like he had that day weeks ago, and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Daniel? What happened?" The short gray haired woman got closer, clear blue eyes studying Danny in a mixture of curiosity and worry.

He shrugged and whispered, "I'm ok, Ma'am." Shaking her head, she stepped closer to him and patted his cheek.

"Not really what I asked you, Daniel." Her tone was gentle, but Danny could tell he wasn't fooling her at all, and when she smiled at him, he tried to answer,

"I...I'm...all right. Honest, Ma'am. Just...I..yestr...I don't want Je...I'm ok." He finished lamely, unable to meet her eyes, even though he knew she was till looking at him.

"Daniel, if you're injured and need to see a Doctor, we need to know. I don't want you making an injury worse. Ok?" Danny nodded his head, still studying his boots, trying desperately to keep the hand not holding Banjo's reins from rubbing his pants leg in his nervousness. Mrs. Edwards was quiet for the span of a few seconds and Danny wasn't sure if she was waiting for him to say something, but he just couldn't think of a thing.

"Did you have a good time?" Mrs. Edwards' soft question brought Danny's head up and he nodded, words still stuck in his throat. Giving Danny another small smile, she continued, "I'm glad. Why don't you go rest for a bit. I'll tell Jess to let you alone, and get you in a few hours." Danny began rubbing his pants leg, even though he had tried not too.

"Yes'm. Y-you can do that?" He finally was able to get out, blushing when the words registered in his brain as ridiculous ones. Mrs. Edwards laughed though, a jolly sound that Danny would never admit he loved to hear, and she reached out to ruffle his hair.

"I'm the boss, I can tell him whatever I want. Besides, you're exhausted." she winked at him, still chuckling softly, despite his eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes'm...ok." He agreed, stilling his hand, as he started leading Banjo away, still a bit wide eyed.

"Daniel?" Danny paused a second time and looked back over his shoulder.

"If you aren't better by tomorrow, I want you to tell me. You hear?" Swallowing hard, he nodded. He wasn't about to tell her no, but he had _no_ intentions of telling anyone if he was still hurting. He'd do whatever it took to stay here on the ranch, even if it meant working through pain. He'd dealt with pain before. He could handle it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Everybody! I'm sorry it took so long to get another chapter of this up! I decided to adjust an entire chapter (the next one, lol) and in doing so had some things to adjust and fill out in this one. Plus, life. ;) I did recently update Band of Brothers as well, and with hope...another chapter of each of these will be up soon. No guarantees, but hopeful! Great gratitude to I'maMePanda, she's a great beta an awesome person and an amazing friend! ;)

And, Chapter 4!

JD stood near the small creek, skipping rocks. He was bored out of his mind. There wasn't a single person around to do anything with. Buck had kicked him out of the jail about a half hr ago, threatening to hang him from the rafters in the livery if he didn't stop pestering him. Ezra was out on patrol with Josiah. Vin had taken off early that morning, heading out for one of his rides where he wanted to be alone. Nathan had shooed him out of the clinic earlier in the day, where he'd been tending a man who'd been bucked off his horse. Chris...well, Chris was in the saloon and JD didn't think he was doing anything overly important, but he knew better than to pester Chris. He threw the next rock with too much force and groaned when it sank straight to the bottom. He'd even debated seeking out Billy Travis, before remembering that Billy was visiting his grandfather. Danny hadn't been back to town since they'd returned from the Wild West Show. He paused, contemplating riding out to visit Danny next, but decided against it, knowing he'd never get back in time for lessons and that would not go over well with Josiah. Plus, he and Ezra could likely do something together once lessons were done. He scoured the edge of the creek bed and with a soft sigh, picked up a few more skipping choices. He was so bored!

"Whatcha doing, JD?"

JD whirled around, dropping the rocks he held and yelping, "Casey!" at the dark haired teenage girl behind him. "Don't do that!" he added, when the girl simply grinned at him, flipping a pig tail over her shoulder in a motion that JD was sure Ezra would call "haughty". He had never bothered to find out what haughty meant, but it sure sounded right. Her brown eyes snapping in a mixture of amusement and curiosity, she walked over to where he stood, one hand holding tight to a fishing pole, as she bent down and used the other hand to scoop up the rocks he'd dropped. She examined them and shook her head.

"These the best you could find?"

He frowned at her, and snatched the rocks from her hand.

"They suit me fine...why? You think you can do better?" he asked, suspicion clear in his tone. Casey nodded, leaning her fish pole against a birch tree that grew near the water's edge. She grinned that aggravating grin again, and knelt on the muddy shore of the creek, not even bothering to roll up the pant legs of her overalls. She began pulling rocks out of the water and mud, rinsing them off and examining them, with much more intensity than JD had ever given a rock.

He watched her for another few moments before crouching down beside her, as his curiosity over exactly what she was looking for won out. Casey gave a glance over her shoulder, grinning at him. "You need smooth rocks..." before she was able to finish, JD interrupted.

"I know that!" he said, the annoyed look he gave her saying even more than his words. She returned his annoyed look with one of her own, shoving at his shoulder. "Hey!" he exclaimed, throwing a hand back to stop himself from tipping over backwards, and then glaring at her.

"Do ya want me to tell ya or not?!" she demanded fiercely. He swallowed the first reply that came to mind, knowing she'd likely shove him in the creek if he said it, and muttered, "Yeah..."

Immediately grinning again, Casey turned to show him what she held.

"The rocks gotta be smooth, but they gotta be round and flat too." She took a light brown rock from the pile in her hand and held it up for JD to see.

"This one's real good. It's gotta good weight to it too." Her grin turned almost shy as she held out the rock. "Wanna see?"

Nodding, he took the rock, surprised by the weight...or technically, lack of it. He realized immediately that was his problem. He always found smooth rocks - he wasn't dumb - but his rocks definitely weighed more than this one. He turned the rock over in his hand and then handed it back to Casey.

"Nice." He muttered grudgingly.

"Bet my rocks skip further than yours." She goaded in return, obviously annoyed by his response. She indicated the pile of rocks he'd dropped by his booted foot and smirked. Fire filled JD and he grabbed the rocks off the ground, knowing full well they wouldn't skip as far as hers. Buck told him all the time if he would think for 2 seconds before diving headlong into everything, he'd save himself a lot of frustration, but even knowing that, he did it anyway.

"Betcha 2 bits they don't!" He countered, standing up and indicating that she could go first.

~~wws~~wws~~

JD grumbled fiercely under his breath as his second to last rock sank like...well like a rock, after only skipping 4 times. He heard Casey's snort but refused to look at her, as he was fairly sure if he did and she was wearing the look he thought she was wearing, he'd likely push her in the creek and that would have disastrous results.

"Your turn." He said without looking at her. She moseyed up, just inches from him, taking aim. She paused and glanced back at him.

"This is my last rock." The taunting in her voice clear as day.

"Just throw your dang rock!" he snapped, she'd already won, he wasn't sure why she had to rub it in! She grinned again, turning back to the creek, aimed and let the rock fly. 8 skips later, JD was staring at the water in both awe and irratation.

"Ya owe me two bits!" Casey crowed, hands on hips as she turned to face him. JD opened his mouth to retort that he _knew_ he owed her 2 bits, he'd made the bet, when she turned back to the creek for a second. His eyes widened as he realized she had a sling shot stuck in one back pocket. He grinned devilishly to himself. He may not be any good at skipping rocks but he was sure he was at least as good as she was with a slingshot. Granted, he hadn't used a slingshot in ages...

"Double or nothing, but shooting your slingshot this time?" the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he heard Buck's voice in the back of his head. 'Kid, ya just don't know when to quit, do ya?'

~~wws~~wws~~

Groaning, JD watched the pinecone sail backwards off the rock and land in the stream like the 4 before it had. _How_ had Casey gotten so good?! He was good too, he'd gotten all 5 of his, but that meant they were tied and he hadn't beaten her. Now what? He glanced at Casey to see her grinning at him, twirling the slingshot in one hand, and he could swear she was somehow taunting him without saying a word. Tipping her head towards the rock, she asked, "Wanna go again?"

He shook his head, dropping to the ground, feet stretched out in front of him.

"Naw." he answered her, staring out at the creek. Silence reigned for a few seconds before Casey's voice, quieter than it had been, came across the small space between them.

"You any good with those?"

JD looked up at the brown haired girl in surprise, unsure what she was talking about. She pointed to his gun belt and his prized dual pistols. His look turned to a glare. She wasn't seriously challenging him to a bet with his own pistols...was she? Then again, he supposed he'd done the same. Challenging her with her own slingshot.

"I'm good…. But _you_ can't shoot!" he said, getting to his feet and dusting off his pants. Casey closed the distance between them, reaching out to shove him as she snappily retorted, "Who says I can't?!"

Frowning, JD still pulled one of the pistols from its holder and held it out to her, as she glared at him, her hand held out expectantly.

"Do you even know _how_ to hold a pistol?" JD's voice dripped with sarcasm, despite knowing it was a fairly ridiculous question. He knew Casey was decent with a rifle, but he was beyond reason at the moment, annoyed at the slightly younger girls ability to beat him at almost anything.

"Course I do! And _Vin's_ been helping me too! You gonna put your money where your mouth is, JD Dunne?!"

~~wws~~wws~~

Hell bent for leather, JD raced Danger back towards town. He knew better than to be racing his mount through the trees, sparse though they were, but he just didn't care at the moment. He'd left town early morning, and been gone for a couple hrs. Vin had left real early in the morning. Vin had better be back by now, he thought to himself, as something similar to a grumble escaped him. Casey almost beating him with his own pistol had sent him higher than those firecrackers in the canyon. He had a bone to pick with one long haired, rock skipping, target shooting older brother! He wasn't sure _why_ Vin was hiding stuff from him and teaching Casey, but he was going to find out!

"JD!" He heard the yell and looked ahead of him, to the right a bit, where it had sounded like it came from. He slowed Danger a bit, with a gentle pull on the reigns accompanied by a soft whoa. When he saw who had yelled and the realization of why hit him, he swallowed the lump that had mysteriously appeared in his throat. He drew Danger to a stop, eyes widening as an immensely upset Nathan drew Brevet up close to JD and his mount.

"There better be an awfully good explanation for you racing through here like that." Nathan wasted no time snapping out his question, and his tone suggested that short of a life threatening injury, fire or the like, he'd not consider any other reason as 'good'. JD briefly contemplated how good his actual reason was, but dismissed it, just as quickly as he dismissed lying. Nathan could pick a lie out of his ramblings faster than Buck could pick up a girl on Friday night, and he didn't want to add that to his misdeed at the moment. He shook his head quickly when Nathan cleared his throat.

"I...I don't Nate. Was just in a hurry to get back to town." The reason sounded lame to his own ears, and when Chris's lecture from a few weeks back about the safety of himself and his mount began ringing in the back of his head, he cringed, wondering if he could keep Nathan from saying anything to Chris. Nathan held JD's gaze for a moment, searching JD's face so intently JD couldn't help but squirm. After another moment, Nathan's features relaxed.

"Didn't Chris _just_ tell you to be careful when you were out riding?" Nathan's words caused JD to squirm again, that sounded like a trap if he'd ever heard one, but seeing Nathan's look darkening again, he nodded quickly.

"Yeah….but me and Danny were racing...and stuff. I was just in a hurry and wasn't thinking….not really." JD trailed off, again knowing how it sounded. Nathan blew out an annoyed breath and then sighed.

"You know we just don't want ya getting hurt, don't ya JD?"

JD nodded, letting out a relieved breath when his older brother no longer sounded upset.

"Yeah Nate. _Honest_ I do."

Shaking his head, Nathan spoke in a voice that was quiet but hard.

"You know, I should be telling both Buck _and_ Chris what I caught you doing out here, but...I'm not going too. _This_ time. You do something dangerous like that again and you're going to wish for certain you hadn't. You understand me, John Daniel?"

JD bobbed his head, he'd agree to just about anything to get out of this predicament, and get back to town so he could find Vin. He still couldn't believe that Vin had been teaching Casey all sorts of stuff and hadn't offered to teach him _anything._ Then again, JD suddenly recalled Vin asking him if he wanted to go with him one morning, to check his traps and maybe do some target shooting. He'd said no, cuz he hadn't wanted to get up that early. He cocked his head to the side, trying to remember if there had been other times like that…. "JD!"

JD started and looked at Nathan sheepishly. "Sorry, Nate. Just thinkin'."

His older brother just looked at him for another moment and then grinned, with a shake of his head. "Get outta here. I got to get out to the Harris Farm. Go on, 'fore I change my mind!" Nathan reached out and gave Danger a semi hard pat to the rump and the horse danced to the side, obviously getting tired of standing still.

"Yessir!" JD agreed, whirling Danger's head to the right and kicking the horse just enough to cause him to jump forward, before realizing how that'd look to his brother. Danger had gone a good hundred feet by the time JD had managed to pulled back on the confused horse's reins. He looked over his shoulder at Nathan, hollering, "Sorry!" before releasing Danger into a gentle run, leaving Nathan shaking his head behind him.

~~wws~~wws~~

JD paused in front of the jailhouse. A search of every known place for Vin to be, hadn't turned up his older brother. He frowned, wondering where he could have gotten too, then looked out to the street, as he heard approaching hoof beats.

He grinned when he saw Danny and Jess riding into town. He hadn't seen his friend since they'd returned from the trick show a few days before. What an adventure that had been! He'd been so sure they were going to get caught, but they'd made it to the show, stayed overnight just outside the town, and gotten back to Four Corners the next day without any trouble. Well, if you ignored things like scaring themselves silly and Danny taking off for home before daybreak.

Part of him still felt guilty though, and it was awful hard to remember to mention Jess any time someone asked him about the show...he waved at Danny as he got closer.

"Hi JD." Danny greeted, sliding off Banjo, and throwing his mounts reins around the hitching post.

"C'mon Danny. Chris is in the saloon and I bet Inez probably has a snack we can have!" He tugged on Danny's arm a bit, and Danny looked at Jess. Jess grinned as he dismounted.

"Don't want to miss out on snacks, boy. I'll be at the mercantile." Danny smiled his thanks and let himself be tugged along.

"Jess hasn't asked you anything else 'bout the trick show, has he?" Danny frowned and clapped a hand over JD's mouth, looking back over his shoulder to where Jess was just walking away from his horse.

"JD!" He hissed, pushing JD down the boardwalk. "Don't do that, and no!" Danny whispered fiercely. Over the last 5 days, he'd been constantly plagued by feelings of guilt over what he'd done. He'd enjoyed himself just fine and they'd gotten there and back, proving his point that he didn't need permission, or a guardian...but somehow he had a feeling that if Jess or Buck found out...they wouldn't see it that way. And that made Danny four shades of nervous. JD looked over at Jess and then back to Danny.

"But if he hasn't asked you nothing, why are you so nervous?"

They stepped into the saloon and Danny glared at JD.

"Never mind JD. Just, don't talk about that anymore. Okay?" JD looked confused, but he nodded. Danny's behavior over the last little while had been beyond odd. He waved to Chris, across the room and steered Danny and himself over towards the kitchen.

"Hello Carino, Poco Rojo. You are here for nachos?" JD nodded, grinning. Inez always seemed to know just what kind of snack he'd like...then again, he was pretty sure he'd never actually turned down any of her snacks either. He dropped into a seat next to the kitchen and eagerly waited.

"You gonna be in town for awhile, Danny? I got lessons soon." JD's mouth turned down at that thought. Danny grinned.

"Naw, just for a little bit. Mrs. Edwards sent Jess to pick up something she ordered and Jess said I could come. I should be working..." Danny trailed off, another wave of guilt hitting him. He was pretty sure Jess was beginning to realize how much he disliked working out on the range. The man had begun assigning him chores that were more ranch based and had him working with the animals...and offered to take him with him almost any time he came to town. Danny dropped his head onto his crossed arms, he was a horrible horrible...

"Poco Rojo?"

Danny's head popped back up. "Yes'm?" He asked, looking at Inez nervously. She tilted her head a bit and studied him. She didn't know him as well as the others but he reminded her of the young gambler, or even the tracker right now...guilty as sin over something, but unwilling to share. She set nachos down on the table along with two glasses of milk. Danny gave her half smile, glancing at JD, who was stuffing his face, then back to Inez.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"It is good to share." She said the words pointedly, with one eyebrow slightly raised. He gulped as he watched her walk away, what had she...how did she? He grabbed his drink and downed half of it. He shook his head. Share? He didn't think so.

~~wws~~wws~~

"You ready to head back?" Jess met Danny on the boardwalk, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yessir."

Jess moved to untie his horse, an appaloosa named Pepper, saying, "Spoke to Mrs. Potter, and she said she'll ask around about someone who can fix your boots."

Danny, still feeling a bit mixed up from his earlier exchange with Inez, quietly said, "Thanks, Jess." as he also untied Banjo. Jess eyed the boy, and watched his jerky movements for a few moments, before asking, "Danny, you okay?"

"Yessir." Danny replied, putting one foot in the stirrup.

"Danny." Jess's voice was sterner this time.

"I'm ok!" Danny's voice was more frustrated than angry, and Jess frowned, unsure what was wrong. Danny usually enjoyed his visits to town. Jess figured he'd try another approach.

"Saw Vin and he said to tell you he, JD and Ezra may go camping in a few weeks, and that maybe you'd like to go with them, instead of going out on your own?"

A sharp gasp from the boardwalk to the side and behind them caused them both to turn and look at JD in surprise.

"Mr. Kantrell, Danny told you we went on our own?" JD looked horribly confused and within seconds, Danny looked just plain horrified. Jess frowned, unsure what the boy was referring too, and then a dark look began to settle on his face, and he slowly looked back at Danny, his face a thundercloud of emotions.

"You said Buck was going with you." Jess's tone couldn't have sounded more harsh to Danny's ears and now both horrified and slightly petrified, he could barely bob his head in the affirmative. JD looked confused.

"But if Danny told you we went alone, why aren't you...mad.…?" JD trailed off as Jess spared a glance in his direction. Oh. Jess _was_ mad. _Really_ mad.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Everyone! Chapter 5! Woohoo! JD's propensity for speaking before thinking has landed the boys in a bit of trouble for this chapter. There's still no CP, but it will be discussed. There's also a lot about Danny that gets revealed here and Jess has a bit of a conundrum to work out near the end. It's a fairly short chapter, considering the lengths of most of mine, but I wanted to get it up anyway. I *think* there will only be one more chapter after this! :o I know, right?

I am working on the next chapter of Band of Brothers also, so hopefully soon, but I just started my first college class and both my kids are out/about to be out of school, so...no guarantees. As always, thank you to I'maMePanda for letting me build all sorts of sandcastles in her YP sandbox and for her awesome beta-ing and just being awesomesauce. :)

~~wws~~wws~~

JD swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that he'd made a big mistake. He backed up a few steps but Jess barked out, "Don't move!" And he froze.

Jess stepped forward and wrapped the horses' reins back around the hitching post. He took Danny by the arm with one hand and then took hold of the back of JD's neck and propelled them both towards the jailhouse. JD slid a glance at Danny, but his red headed friend was looking at the ground and JD got a distinct feeling that Danny was simply too scared to focus on anything else. He figured that Buck would be pretty upset too...not so much for going to the Wild West Show...but for the lying...and he could understand why Danny was nervous. Lying was _always_ worse. He slid another look over at Danny. Danny was shaking. Badly. And he was fairly certain Mr. Kantrell didn't realize that Danny wasn't just nervous, not anymore, not like JD was nervous about going to see Buck...but _scared_...more scared than anyone should be.

"Mr. Kantrell?" JD spoke, determined to help his friend, but voice still trembling.

"What, JD?" Jess's voice was rock hard and angry enough that JD faltered a bit before plunging ahead again, "Danny, Mr. Kantrell...Danny's _scared_." Jess looked down at Wilmington's boy, about to tell him that of course Danny was scared and he should be...when the look on JD's face stopped him. He stopped walking abruptly, letting go his hold on JD, and turned to look at Danny. The boy's chin was tucked firmly into his chest and he was _shaking_. From head to toe. _Shaking_. Jess's anger fled, chased down by a fair amount of concern and a tiny bit of fear. He released his hold on Danny's arm, and put his arm around the teen's shoulders. He pulled the boy quickly, tightly into his side, holding him there, as the boy continued to shake. Jess looked back at JD.

"Go find Nathan for me. And then I expect you to find Buck." JD's eyes widened in fear when Jess asked for Nathan, and with a quick nod of his head, he bolted down the boardwalk towards the clinic.

Jess looked around, trying to decide if he should have Danny sit down, but there really wasn't any place for the boy to do so and he instead just headed slowly down the boardwalk with him, speaking quietly to the teen. Nathan met him moments later, JD hot on his heels.

"JD said he just started shaking?" Nathan asked, touching Danny's forehead, while the boy refused to even look up. "Bring him up to the clinic so I can get a better look." Nathan ordered, before Jess could respond, and he nodded, as Nathan turned back to the clinic. Looking at JD, who was near tears, Jess sighed.

"C'mon, JD." Jess said, nodding his head towards the clinic. Looking beyond relieved, JD followed them to the clinic.

~~wws~~wws~~

"Danny, can you hear me?" Nathan asked, carefully placing a mug of tea into the boy's hands, without releasing his own hold. Danny's whispered "Yessir." came as a welcome surprise. Nathan had been walking Danny through some deep breaths, and rotating between drinking tea and water, with the boy responding to the quiet orders, but not answering or acknowledging otherwise. Nathan patted Danny's knee.

"Good. Can you keep drinking a little of this at a time?" Nathan asked, indicating the mug of tea in Danny's hands. He waited for Danny's hold on the cup to tighten before releasing it.

"Yessir." Danny whispered again.

"That's good, Danny. You sit tight, I'm going to talk to Jess a moment, okay?" Nathan said as he stood up. At the mention of Jess's name, Danny began to shake again, though no where near as hard as before. Nathan sat back down and sent a glare over at Jess, who actually seemed to cringe a bit. "Danny, no one's going to hurt you. You're safe here." Nathan slid another look at Jess, as if daring him to argue, then looked back to Danny, rubbing his back a bit, waiting for the shakes to calm.

"I'm...I'm okay, Mr. Jackson." Danny's whispered words were barely audible.

"Keep drinking that tea, Danny. I'll be right back." Nathan said again, avoiding saying Jess's name this time. He got up and moved slowly towards Jess, looking back at Danny once.

"What did you do?" Nathan demanded fiercely, though his voice remained quiet. "That boy's nerves...people don't just start shaking like that for no reason, Jess! What happened?" He stood in front of Jess, blocking his line of view to Danny. Jess was tall...but Nathan was taller...and bigger. Jess would've laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. Though the fact that Nathan was willing to protect Danny from him spoke volumes, and Jess was grateful yet again, that Danny had ended up here, with him and folks of Four Corners.

"I haven't done anything, Nathan. The boys got themselves in a bit of trouble, and I was angry, but other than taking Danny by the arm, I didn't do anything."

Nathan's glare wavered and he looked over at JD, who was hovering between the door and Danny.

"Trouble?" He asked, giving his little brother a look, then looking back at Jess. "What kind of trouble?" Jess crossed his arms and looked over at JD.

"You want to tell him or should I?" JD shrugged, then sighed. He moved to sit carefully next to Danny on the bed, looking at Nathan in surprise when Danny leaned into him. Nathan nodded that it was ok and taking a deep breath, he looked up at Nathan from under his dark hair.

"Danny and I...we kind of...we went...we went to the trick show by ourselves." Nathan took a minute to process that. And then he frowned.

"You lied to Buck?" He asked, looking over at Jess before looking back at JD. JD nodded.

"And Danny lied to Jess." He whispered, "That's why Jess was mad... He didn't hurt Danny, Nate." Nathan looked back at Jess.

"I apologize Jess, but he's scared of something….or _someone_ _._ People _don't_ shake uncontrollably for no reason."

Jess nodded in acknowledgment. "I know, it scared me too. Do you think I can...?" He motioned towards Danny. The boy was barely shaking, but Nathan still frowned. He walked back over to Danny and knelt in front of him.

"Danny, look at me." Danny trembled a bit, but obeyed Nathan's firm voice. Nathan was startled by the fear in the boys eyes. "There is _no one_ in this room that's going to hurt you. Do you hear me?" It was impossible to not see the look the boy threw Jess's way. Jess stepped forward, so Danny could see him better, and when he did, the boy paled even more.

"Danny, I apologize for scaring you. I was... _still am_ , very upset that you lied to me, but I would _never_ harm you. Never."

Danny looked at Nathan, then back to Jess. "But….I was...just _rotten_...and, and you're gonna _tan_ me..." Danny's words were full of self loathing, mixed with fear, and Jess couldn't have looked more surprised. Nathan glared at him again.

"Just _what_ does he think a tanning is, Jess Kantrell!?" Nathan demanded. Jess threw a confused look at Nathan before looking back to Danny. Thinking quickly, and not liking what he came up with, Jess took a step closer to the red headed teen on the cot. He was almost positive he had this puzzle figured out. He took another step forward.

"Have I ever _hurt_ you, Danny?" He asked quietly. Danny shook his head, watching the man who cared for him.

"No sir." Danny's color was starting to come back. Jess stepped forward again.

"But someone did?"

"Yessir." Danny replied, trembling once more. Jess was almost in front of Danny now, and Nathan scooted to the side.

"Who?" Jess asked the question quietly enough, but couldn't quite hide the disgust in his voice.

"Some folks...some folks are...mean, Jess. _Awful_ mean." Danny answered, gracefully skirting Jess's actual question. Jess nodded. That would be for another time. He crouched down in front of Danny, and put a hand on one of his knees, while he fought the desire to find whoever hurt his boy; maybe throw them off a cliff.

"I would _never_ hurt you like that Danny. Never." Jess repeated his earlier words, strong, sure... _true_. It took a moment, but Danny nodded, looking back up at Jess with troubled eyes.

"But, I'm still in trouble?"

Jess chuckled. He couldn't help it. He wrapped his boy in a hug, speaking softly in his ear. JD, who'd been quietly watching everything, spoke quietly from his seat next to Danny.

"I'm in trouble too, Danny. Soon as Buck finds out..."

Danny looked at JD over Jess's shoulder and grimaced. "Sorry, JD." He whispered. JD gave a quick nod of his head, he knew how sorry Danny was. And not just cuz they were in trouble. Jess released Danny from the hug and turned to look at JD.

"Time for me to go find Buck now, huh, Mr. Kantrell?" JD asked quietly at the cowboy's look. Jess grinned and reached out to ruffle the boy's dark hair.

"I think so, JD. Danny and I should get home. We have things to discuss still." Danny swallowed audibly, despite being much more relaxed. Jess figured Nathan's tea had helped the boy. Nathan reappeared at Jess's side, and stretched out his hand to JD.

"C'mon, kid. I'll go with you. You know he ain't gonna kill ya." JD took the offered hand, so Nathan could pull him to his feet. He nodded, but still looked forlorn.

"It'd probably be less painful if he did." He muttered, following Nathan out of the clinic, with a half hearted goodbye to Danny and Jess.

Danny looked at Jess, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. Jess moved from his crouched position to sit next to Danny on the bed, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Danny, what happened just a few months ago? What'd I tell you when you helped Ezra and JD do something dangerous?" Jess asked the question gently, but with that underlying firmness that Danny was so familiar with.

Danny stiffened at the remembered incident, but he whispered, "Said if'n something like that happened 'gain, I'd get a tanning." Those weren't Jess's exact words, but since Jess could feel him trembling again, he simply squeezed him tighter.

"Danny, a tanning _isn't_ me beating on you, do you understand that?" Danny shrugged in response to Jess's question, and began to study his hands.

"Yessir...I think so..? But you were so...so... _mad_...and sometimes..." Danny closed his eyes and shook his head as if warding off a memory. Jess understood. He'd figured as much from the boy's earlier response. Removing his arm from the boy's shoulders, he rested a hand on the boy's knee.

"Look at me Danny." Jess ordered quietly. Danny tore his gaze from his hands to Jess's face. "I may, if necessary, tan your backside, but I will never, _ever_ _hurt_ you. I will never beat you, or cause you injury. No matter how angry I may be. Do you understand me?" Jess's tone was that stern, no nonsense tone it always was, that Danny could always rely on as the truth. Danny searched Jess's face intently, looking for a physical reassurance as well as the verbal one. He found nothing for him to be afraid of, or anything that looked as if Jess wasn't being truthful. Truth be told, Jess looked at Danny with an emotion Danny couldn't name...but whatever it was, it felt...nice. Even if he did get a tanning. Realizing Jess was still waiting an answer, Danny nodded and said, "Yes sir. I understand."

"Good. Danny, do you know why I'm so upset about _this_ situation?" The change in topic threw Danny a bit and it took a second for him to answer. He nodded after another few seconds.

"I went to the Wild West Show." He whispered, head back down, fighting the uncharacteristic need to argue with Jess that he had done it and was safe, because like he'd told JD, he was eighteen, not five. Jess shook his head, even knowing the boy couldn't see him.

"No Danny, that's not why I'm upset." Startled green eyes looked up at the older man, as Danny tried to form a sentence.

"But...I don't...you were...why...I don't understand." He faltered, so confused, Jess almost chuckled, even though this was no where near funny.

"Danny, when you asked me if you could go, what'd I say?" Danny scrunched his face up a bit.

"Only if Buck went." He answered quietly. Jess nodded and patted Danny's knee reassuringly.

"That's right. And, what did you and JD do after you realized neither Buck nor I was able to go with you?" Danny was silent a few moments, thinking, then his eyes widened and he looked at Jess, both in understanding and nervousness.

"I lied." He whispered the words and immediately looked back down at his hands.

"Yes. And _that's_ what I'm upset about, Danny. If you and JD had talked to us...if you had explained the situation, we may have been able to come to another solution. I'm not saying I would've been alright with you going alone...And I'm sure Mr. Wilmington would still have made it a requirement for JD, to have someone go with. But we could've at least talked. You made a decision...the _wrong_ one, to lie, simply to get what you wanted. Which is not only not like you, but it's something I'd expect from a much younger person than yourself."

Danny's head shot up. "I'm not a child, Jess!" He exclaimed in frustration. Jess nodded, but tapped the boy's knee gently in warning.

"You are not." He agreed, holding Danny's gaze with his own, "But you're not grown yet either. Don't be rushing things that don't need to be rushed. I didn't tell you that because I think you're a child. I told you that because I care about you and your safety. And JD is younger than you. And none of you - Ezra included - have even hit the age of majority yet and won't for a few years. Let someone take the reins sometimes Danny. You don't need to be a "grown" man just yet." Jess bumped Danny's shoulder with his own, seconds after he finished his speech, waiting to see what kind of reaction he got from the young man. Danny sat in silence for the span of a few heartbeats, and then sucked in a deep breath.

"Never had someone want to help me, less'n they wanted som'thing else."

He felt Jess nod, and then the man's voice came softly. "I figured, Danny Boy."

"Just...mean folks….or folks who didn't care…." Danny plunged ahead before he lost his nerve. Jess nodded again.

"Life ain't easy." the man softly agreed.

"Sure isn't….Jess?"

"Yeah, Danny?" Danny sighed almost involuntarily when Jess's arm went back around his shoulders and he took a moment before continuing with the question he wasn't sure he really wanted the answer to.

"Are you... _are_ you gonna tan me for lyin' to ya?"

Jess let his arm slide back off the boy's shoulders and he turned slightly so he could face his young charge. Danny tried not to squirm as Jess studied him.

"I haven't decided yet, Danny. I'm honestly not sure what to do with you at the moment." Jess grinned slightly to lighten his stern tone. Danny gulped and looked at Jess in a bit of trepidation, but whispered, "Okay." Then, before Jess could say anything else, Danny jumped to his feet, eyes wide, a sudden stricken look flashing across his face.

"Jess, can we go see Buck and JD? Please? Before we...before we go...before you...just _before_?"

Jess opened his mouth to reply, but Danny cut him off before he could.

" _Please_ , Jess? I don't want JD in trouble fer something that was my idea!"

Jess stood up, one of those unable to decipher looks on his face. Danny waited impatiently, shifting from foot to foot.

"C'mon Danny Boy, let's see what we can do."

Barely refraining from shouting his thanks, he darted in front of Jess, out of the clinic and down the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi Everyone! Here's the next (possibly last) chapter of Wild West Show! Thank you all for sticking around! It's been a bit of crazy life here for me, but Danny has been begging me for the last few weeks to finish this. He was starting to really stress out about it. ;)

But I was really at odds about how the ending was going to go and had to call in backup. :) With the amazing help of ImaMePanda, we spent a good couple hours working at it together, tossing ideas around and fighting through story road blocks, and we finally got this chapter ready to go! HUGE, HUGE thanks go out to her, or this would likely have had a much longer wait before it came to be.

**I also know I said there wouldn't be any CP in this, but that changed a bit as we worked out the ending, and there is discussion of, and light CP near the end.**

Jess held back a safety warning, as the boy went down the stairs two at a time and cleared the last three without a backwards glance, reminding himself he'd _just_ told the boy he wasn't a child. Shaking his head as he hit the bottom of the stairs himself, he could see the kid was already halfway to his destination. He jogged to catch up to Danny, who was walking the boardwalk like his feet were on fire. The boy bolted up the jailhouse steps and burst through the door, only to fall backwards into Jess who'd just come up behind him.

"Whoa!" Buck reached to grab hold of Danny's arm, as Jess gently pushed him forward. Righting himself with the offered assistance, Danny moved to look behind Buck, seeking out his friend in the hope he wasn't too late.

Buck removed his hand from Danny's arm, as he gave a nod at Jess. Danny only had eyes for one thing and he stepped closer to Buck, peering into the darker interior of the jailhouse. JD sat on the bench against the wall, head down, shoulders hunched, but he appeared fine otherwise. "Mr. Wilmington, it's all my fault!"

When Mr. Wilmington just looked at Danny, a long moment going by in silence, the boy swallowed hard and took a step back. He'd just smacked into the man he was about to try and appease and that wasn't what he'd planned at all. "What's all your fault, Danny?"

Even though it was a question, Danny could see from the look on the mustached man's face that he already knew.

"I...Mr. Wilmi...JD and me..." Danny paused, his stuttering coming to a halt as he clamped his mouth closed and look over his shoulder at Jess. Jess nodded his head back at Buck and sighing, Danny tried again. "I...it was my, my idea to go..I mean...to lie about," Danny sucked in a breath, shifting where he stood, unable to move even if he wanted, with Jess behind him and Mr. Wilmington in front. Sounding more than a little defeated, Danny managed a sentence without stuttering, though it was quiet enough it was barely heard.

"It was me. I told JD we should lie, so we could go."

Buck studied him another moment and gave a small nod. Danny sighed heavily, about to thank his best friend's guardian for being so understanding, when the next words from the tall man stopped him. "Didn't force JD, did ya, Danny?" Buck rested his hands on his belt buckle and leaned one shoulder against the door frame, waiting for Danny's answer.

Danny shook his head slowly, rubbing a hand along the side of his pants. "N-no sir. B-but he didn't want to...and I-I told him I was." Danny stopped abruptly as he realized his confession was not doing what he had hoped it would. Looking over Buck's shoulder to avoid eye contact, Danny's eyes caught JD hovering between the bench and the front door of the jailhouse and they widened slightly, hoping his friend wouldn't get himself in more trouble while he was trying to get him out.

"JD makes up his own mind. He knew it was wrong and did it anyway." When Buck paused, Danny opened his mouth, ready to argue the point the best he could, but the slight shake of Buck's head had him snapping his mouth shut. "You're a good friend to JD, Danny, but he's responsible for what he does, same as you."

"Yessir," Danny said, dejected, as he looked at his boots, scuffing the toe of one against the rough wooden boards of the porch. It only took a heartbeat for him to look back at Buck, stepping closer as he asked, "Mr. Wilmington...can you...can you not...a-are are you gonna.." Danny stopped, trying to gain control over his wayward tongue. One side of Buck's mouth quirked up a little, and straightening up, he gently tapped Danny's shoulder. "Yessir?" Danny exclaimed, looking up to meet Buck's gaze.

"Spit it out, Danny." Buck ordered in a quiet stern tone. Danny swallowed and tried not to shift on his feet...Mr. Wilmington didn't look angry exactly, but he was serious in a way Danny hadn't seen since the firecrackers and he wished again that they hadn't lied.

"Please don't tan, JD!" It came out of his mouth much too loud and Danny felt himself blush to his ears. Buck blinked in surprise, and then for just a second his lip quirked again. Danny wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, and waited, every second like a whole year as Buck considered him. Mr. Wilmington looked behind Danny after another agonizing moment, and Danny took a quick peek over his shoulder as well, watching a quick silent exchange between Mr. Wilmington and Jess.

"Danny," Danny's head whipped back to look at Buck and he stammered out another,

"Yessir?"

"What exactly would you rather I do?" Buck straightened fully, and adjusted his hat.

"Wha-What? It...It's not, I-I don't…" More than a little baffled, Danny stuttered only a second before stopping and then shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

"Should he have to stay in his room for the next few days? Should I not let him ride Danger for awhile? Have him do lessons every day for hours?" Buck paused, running a hand under his hat and tipping his head to the side. "What do you think about those ideas, JD, hm? I'd suggest you sit your backside back where I told you, Boy."

Danny had begun shaking his head before Buck had gotten to JD not being able to ride Danger, and at Buck's order to his friend he couldn't stop the surprise from running across his face. In the momentary quiet Danny watched JD almost throw himself on the bench, then glanced back at Mr. Wilmington. He was sure JD would _hate_ all those things. Would he hate them more than a tanning though? Shrugging again, he spoke quietly in answer, "I...I don't kn-know...I.." Danny swallowed what felt like a rock in his throat and he took a step back. He felt Jess's hand rest on his shoulder and he relaxed slightly.

"I appreciate you owning up Danny, but the fault ain't all yours to take. This here is between me and JD." Danny blinked rapidly, the statement and the look on Mr. Wilmington's face clear indication of the finality of his attempt to aid JD. Unable to say or do anything else, Danny nodded mutely. Jess tightened his grip on Danny's shoulder and stepped closer to the teen, smiling reassuringly when Danny looked up at him.

"Danny and I got things to take care of too, and we should be heading back to the ranch." Jess spoke to Buck and stuck his hand out, adding, "Thanks, Buck." Nodding, Buck shook Jess's hand, releasing it a moment later. Jess turned Danny around and put an arm around his shoulders.

As they headed back down the porch steps, Buck's voice came from behind them, "Oh and Danny?" Danny looked over his shoulder curiously, and Buck gave a grin, "JD's gonna be just fine."

WWS**WWS

Danny quickly decided he had a great dislike for the Edward's storage shed. He sat on an old wooden trunk, waiting for Jess. When they'd arrived back at the ranch, Jess had sent him out here. He'd told him they could finish their discussion in private; dismissing the bunkhouse, woodshed and both barns because people were generally coming and going from those at all times. Danny looked around the small building again, firmly telling himself he had no intentions -ever- of having any reason to come back in here. He didn't want to be here now, but he wasn't brave enough to take off either. He shook his head, berating himself. Brave enough to lie to his self appointed guardian and go away overnight, but not brave enough to get away from what was possibly an impending tanning. What was _wrong_ with him?

He put his head in his hands and squished his eyes closed against the threatening tears he could feel advancing like tiny army troops. Advance, advance, never retreat! He sucked in a startled breath as the door to the shed opened and he looked up at Jess, nervousness leaking out of him like that cup with the hole in it that Brady, one of the ranch hands, insisted on using. Jess closed the door behind him and gave Danny a half smile as he crossed the small building and sat next to the boy.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, until Danny shifted a tiny bit, leaning his shoulder into Jess's and sighing. "Ah, Danny." Jess said softly, moving his arm around the boy's shoulder and pulling him into a tight half hug. Danny, in an effort to stave off the advancing army of tears, turned his face slightly, almost, but not quite, burying it in Jess's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jess. Honest." Danny's whispered words tugged at Jess's resolve.

"I know, boy, I know." Jess answered quietly, rubbing the boy's shoulder. Silence reigned again for a few moments, until Jess gently nudged Danny's knee with his own.

"You decided what you're gonna do with me, huh Jess?" the boy asked, without moving his face off the man's shoulder.

"Yeah boy, I have." Jess replied, tone as stern as he could make it. Danny took a deep breath, slowly moving into an upright position, and wiped at the few soldiers who had escaped and were running down his face.

"You're gonna tan me, aren't ya?" With Danny's quiet words, Jess shifted, turning slightly to the side so he could look properly at Danny.

"I am. Danny, I know today was rough. I know I scared you, even though I didn't mean too. And, I know it's hard for you to trust that I won't hurt you. But, I think you and me got some stuff worked out." Danny nodded, his sad green eyes almost more than Jess could handle and he continued, "so, this is what we're going to do, Danny. I think you've punished yourself quite a bit; but I made you a promise, didn't I?" Danny nodded again and Jess went on, "I'm going to be easy on you _this_ time, but it's your _final_ warning. This type of thing happens again..." Jess trailed off pointedly, and Danny began to nod fiercely.

"Never, Jess," the teen quickly assured.

"Should we get this over with, then?" Jess asked, gently chucking Danny under the chin.

"Yessir...I don't know...what do I..." Danny stumbled over the words, nervously rubbing his hands on his knees. Jess placed his hand on the boy's hand and squeezed, then took him gently by the arm and tugged him from the sitting position next to him, to face down over his lap in a quick but gentle move, that still caused Danny to gasp a bit in surprise. Jess carefully shifted Danny just slightly and laid a comforting hand on the boys back, patting gently before speaking softly.

"Ready, Danny?"

Danny thought sitting and waiting for Jess had been awful. But this. He didn't know what to do with himself. The toes of his boots were barely touching the floor on one side and it was about the same with his fingers on the other side. He felt entirely off balance and was beyond grateful when Jess began patting his back, emotions flooding his chest in such a way that the once retreating troops returned, storming the battlefront. He grabbed Jess's leg with one hand to brace himself, as he dashed at his eyes in frustration with the other.

He was all sorts of sideways and he really didn't like it. He heard Jess's voice come softly from above him but it took him a second to decipher the words. Ready? _No!_ He _wasn't_ ready, he wanted to yell, but just couldn't. Guilt battled with his fear, as he thought hard about just how ridiculous it had been to lie and sneak off, instead of just asking for another option...like an adult. "Yessir." He managed to get the word out, then buried his face in the crook of the arm that wasn't holding Jess's leg in a death grip.

Jess heard the boy answer him, and he fought with the urge to gently push the boy off his lap, and call the whole thing off. The last few hours for Danny - and himself - had been really rough. Was this even necessary? The boy was repentant. Wasn't that the point? Another voice came up from deep inside though, telling him that the boy had to know he meant what he said, cuz if there was a next time...Jess swallowed hard. _No_. There would be no next time, not if he could help it. And not if the boy kept his promise, but Jess had made a promise too.

Taking in a deep breath, he delivered the first swat, and immediately hardened himself against whatever reaction Danny would have. It wasn't overly surprising to hear the boy whimper but it _was_ a surprise to find how heavy his hand felt when he lifted it the second time. Firming his resolve, he brought his hand down again, hearing but purposefully ignoring the sucked in breath Danny gave as it connected. Knowing it wasn't going to get any easier, that he and the boy needed this over with, he gave the boy another handful of swats, barely pausing between them...

Never again, never again. Danny was chanting the words to himself as the first swat landed, and a whimper escaped him, more in surprise than pain. Blinking rapidly and chanting the words even more fiercely in his head, he felt the second swat land and sucked in a breath. A moment later, as he felt other swats follow, the soldiers rushed forward, the floodgates were opened and Danny let loose with sobs from deep down inside, that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the short tanning he'd just received.

Jess knew there was no way he'd swatted the boy hard enough to warrant the gasping tears that were pouring from the red headed youngster. He figured the boy was unloading every emotion from not only today, but the entire last week. And while he wasn't sure how Danny would handle being comforted, there was no way he was going to leave the boy like this either. He quickly shifted the boy around and pulled him close to his chest, doing his best to comfort this boy who'd burrowed his way into his life.

They stayed that way until Danny started sucking in huge breaths trying to rein in the tears. Jess shifted the boy a bit, to be able to reach up with one hand and push his hair from his eyes. "You doing ok there, Son?" the word slipped off Jess's tongue without prior thought and he cringed, expecting a fierce rebuttal. When none was forthcoming, neither angry retort, or any kind of answer, Jess lowered his voice another notch and tried again, speaking near the boy's ear. "Danny? You ok?" This time he felt the boy nod against his chest and he chuckled softly in relief. "Ok, good, " he whispered, rubbing Danny's shoulder a bit.

"Jess?" Danny's whispered word was almost imperceptible.

"Yessir, Mr. James?" Jess couldn't see the boy's face but he was pretty sure the boy smiled at that.

"I'm _really_ sorry. I'll never do that again. Ever. Honest." Grinning, Jess squeezed the boy in a tight hug.

"I know you won't, Danny."

"Jess?"

"Yeah Danny?" There was a pause, a moment where the air seemed to bristle with anticipation, and then Danny sucked in and let out a huge, shuddering breath before whispering his next words.

"You can call me 'Son'."


End file.
